Average Wedding Cost in NZ (2027): What Kiwi Couples Really Spend

Below is what we found, where each figure comes from, and how to turn it into a budget of your own. If you're marrying under a civil union rather than a marriage, the government fees are the same; we compare the two in civil union or marriage?

Last checked: 22 October 2026. All prices are in NZD.

Why there isn't one "average"

Stats NZ counts how many people marry, not what they spend. So every figure you'll see comes from the wedding industry or from personal finance writers, and each one has its blind spots.

The number that made the news in 2025 came from Susannah Reid, director of The Wedding Planner, who told RNZ that a typical budget was $58,800 in 2023, $63,600 in 2024 and "more like $87,600" in 2025. That's a useful signal that prices have climbed, but it reflects couples who hire a wedding planner. As StatsChat pointed out at the time, the industry's "typical" isn't what most of us would call typical, and there's no proper sample of New Zealand weddings to check it against.

The personal finance site MoneyBalance puts a 2026 wedding with 80 to 120 guests at $28,000 to $45,000. It's an estimate, not a survey, but it's the most detailed category breakdown we found, so we've used it for the tables below.

What it costs by guest numbers

Guest numbers drive most of the bill, because catering, drinks, chairs and venue size all scale with them. MoneyBalance's 2026 estimates:

Wedding size	Typical total	Per guest
Under 20 guests	$5,000 – $12,000	$250 – $600
20–50 guests	$12,000 – $22,000	$240 – $440
50–100 guests	$22,000 – $38,000	$220 – $380
100–150 guests	$35,000 – $55,000	$230 – $370
150+ guests	$50,000+	$200 – $350+

Notice the per-guest cost barely changes. Small weddings aren't cheaper per head, they're cheaper because there are fewer heads. MoneyBalance estimates each extra guest adds $150 to $250 in catering, and possibly more in venue costs.

Cost table by category

These are MoneyBalance's budget and premium figures for an 80-guest wedding in 2026, with their mid-range figure as a rough middle.

Category	Budget	Mid-range	Premium
Venue hire	$2,000	$5,000	$10,000+
Catering, per guest	$80	$130	$200+
Catering for 80 guests	$6,400	$10,400	$16,000
Photography	$2,000	$3,500	$6,000+
Videography	$1,500	$2,800	$5,000+
Celebrant	$500	$900	$1,500
Flowers	$1,200	$2,500	$6,000+
Dress or suit	$800	$2,500	$8,000+
Rings (both)	$800	$3,000	$10,000+
Hair and makeup	$400	$800	$1,500+
Music, DJ or band	$800	$1,500	$4,000+
Cake	$400	$800	$1,800+
Invitations and stationery	$200	$500	$1,200+
Transport	$200	$600	$1,500+
Wedding-night accommodation	$200	$400	$1,000+

Not in the table: the honeymoon, the bar tab (see below), and anything your guests pay for themselves.

The fixed legal costs

These are set by the government, not the market, so they're the one part of the budget that's the same everywhere. From govt.nz:

• Marriage licence: $158. Celebrants charge their own fee on top. (Get a marriage licence)
• Registry ceremony: a set fee of $175, paid to the celebrant, plus the licence. It's held on a weekday during business hours, uses the standard vows and is limited to 10 guests. (Registry ceremonies)

So the cheapest legal wedding in New Zealand is $333 plus two witnesses. Everything else is a choice.

Auckland, Queenstown and the regions

We couldn't find a trustworthy average for any single region, so we won't make one up. What the sources agree on is the pecking order. MoneyBalance rates Queenstown and Wānaka, and Waiheke Island, as "very high" cost; Auckland city venues, Wellington, Hawke's Bay and Marlborough wineries as "high"; Christchurch and Canterbury as "moderate"; and regional New Zealand as "lower".

The reasons are easy to see once you start getting quotes:

• Queenstown and Wānaka: high demand from couples who fly in, a small pool of suppliers, peak pricing in both summer and ski season, and guests who need flights and two or three nights' accommodation.
• Waiheke: ferry costs for every guest and supplier, island accommodation prices, and vineyard venues in high demand on summer Saturdays.
• Auckland: pricier venues, especially in the city, and more competition for good Saturdays.
• The regions: smaller supplier markets and lower venue hire. The catch is that suppliers may have to travel, and their travel and accommodation goes on your bill.

What real Kiwi weddings cost

The averages hide a huge spread. RNZ has talked to couples at both ends:

• A couple who married at Matapouri in Northland told RNZ they started with a $15,000 budget, revised it to $40,000 and finished closer to $60,000, including flights from Brisbane and 10 nights' accommodation. Photography and video came to $7,000, the marquee about $5,000 and catering $5,000, with drinks on top.
• In a separate RNZ piece, a Nelson-region couple were budgeting about $6,000 for a 250-guest wedding with a potluck dinner in a church hall. Other couples cut costs with a weekday ceremony, canapés instead of a sit-down meal, or a small ceremony followed by a relaxed party later.

The costs couples forget

MoneyBalance flags a few that catch people out:

• The bar tab. It commonly runs $30 to $60 per guest. Decide whether you're putting a limit on it before the night.
• GST. Some quotes leave it off. Ask every supplier whether their price includes GST.
• Supplier travel and meals. Photographers, videographers and bands working through dinner need feeding, and out-of-town suppliers charge for travel.
• Weather. A marquee, heaters or a covered back-up for an outdoor ceremony.

Ways to spend less

These are the trade-offs that move the total most:

1. Cut the guest list first. It's the only lever that shrinks almost every line of the budget at once.
2. Look past summer Saturdays. Fridays, Sundays and the cooler months are usually cheaper. The exception is Queenstown and the ski towns, where winter is peak season.
3. Feed people differently. Canapés, shared platters or a lunch reception cost less than a three-course dinner.
4. Choose a venue that isn't a "wedding venue". A hall, a family property or a restaurant often costs less, though you may need to hire more.
5. Send invitations online. It saves printing and postage, and RSVPs come back in one place.

Building your own budget

Our free wedding budget calculator turns these figures into a split for your own total and guest count, in NZD, and our step-by-step guide to making a wedding budget in NZ has a template and a worked example.

Start with your guest count, multiply by a realistic per-head figure for your region, then check the total against what you've actually got. If it doesn't fit, change the guest list or the season before you change anything else. Our wedding planning checklist shows which bookings to make first.

Sources

All checked on 22 October 2026.

• RNZ, Typical wedding $87,000, wedding planner says (2025)
• StatsChat, Typical wedding (28 May 2025)
• MoneyBalance, Average Wedding Cost New Zealand 2026 (published 3 May 2026)
• RNZ, How New Zealand couples saved on their wedding (and what they splurged on) (2025)
• govt.nz, Get a marriage licence and Registry ceremonies

Keep the numbers in one place

Online Wedding Invitation has a vendor tracker that shows what you've paid each supplier and what's still owing, next to your guest list and RSVPs. It's free for up to 50 guests. Bigger weddings pay once, in NZD: $65 for Essentials, $109 for Signature or $175 for Luxe.

Start planning for free

Quick questions

How much does a wedding cost in New Zealand?

There's no official average. Estimates put a wedding for 80 to 120 guests at roughly $28,000 to $45,000 in 2026 (MoneyBalance, last checked 22 October 2026).

How much does each extra guest cost?

Roughly $150 to $250 in catering alone, and possibly more in venue costs. The guest list moves the total more than any other decision.

Are small weddings cheaper per guest?

Not really. Per-guest costs stay around $200 to $600; small weddings cost less because there are fewer guests.